In Conversation with Alka & Arati Sharma

We're back with the second edition of our Conversation Series, where we sit down and chat with friends of VFJ to learn about their experiences, insights and the stories behind their fine jewelry choices.

We're thrilled to present the vibrant mother-daughter team of Alka & Arati Sharma. Collaborating on numerous bespoke pieces, each VFJ jewelry item crafted for the Sharma duo is as one-of-a-kind as they are.

Come along as they reminisce about cherished jewelry memories from their past, share meaningful insights about jewelry passed from mother to daughter, and delve into their personalized journey with VFJ.

Tell us the story behind your mattar mala.
Alka: In Canada, from India, my husband took me to the jewellers. His mother has the same necklace like that, so he just want to make me the same mattar mala. And after that, a long time has gone, I keep wearing, wearing, wearing and my daughter grew with me to see that I'm wearing this necklace always.
Arati: The story of the mattar mala is my mom had one of these growing up and she would always wear it. I remember playing with it, and you know when you're young and you play with your moms jewelry, especially necklaces. For me, I wanted to get it remade in the same style, especially the way she used to make it because I love her style. So then we worked with Annu, we looked at old photos of my mom wearing it (the mattar mala) in different angles. It was really hard because the photos are super old. So we finally found the size of beads - Annu and I were at her place thinkiing "is it this many millimeters or this many millimeters?" 
Alka: So when I made this mattar mala, she (Annu) was so communicative with me. She understands me and want I need. The connection is very good.
Arati: Yeah, she really got the connection. It wasn't just a piece, it was like let's make an heirloom for your family.

What significance does jewelry hold for you?
Alka: My mother-in-law, when she got married, my Papa's Nana (maternal grandfather) would call the jeweller to our home and they would make our jewelry. Jewelry - it's a big thing. It's not even just jewelry you wear, but you are attached with something.

What valuable lessons about jewelry have you gained from your mother?
Arati: I've learned from my mom not just the value of investing in good pieces when you save up and you can afford certain things. My mom's always like if you're going to treat yourself, do it with something of value. I'm really grateful that I got to meet Annu, because she comes to my house similar to the stories that she [mom] tells of her Nani's jeweller coming to her house. It's nice being able to look from a collection, but also being able to customize pieces like this [mattar mala] that mean a lot to me. It's just nice having someone like Annu in our corner to help us find the right pieces.

What sets Vishva Fine Jewelry apart in your eyes?
Arati: So the thing with jewelry, and also high end jewelry is you kind of want to gatekeep because it's so special and I don't want people to necessarily recreate the exact same thing that I have. But I can't help like shout from the rooftops that I got this from Vishva, because I really like working with Annu and I know that a lot of young women out there would get a lot of benefit from working with someone like Vishva. You get the education and you get the understanding of value but then you also get trustworthiness. So as much as I want to gatekeep all of the pieces that I have and not tell people where I got it because I don't want everyone to have the same thing, I often just share really loudly - you gotta talk to her, you gotta meet her.

Credits:
Videographer: Kim Legaspi